People of the City by Marshall Ryan Maresca – Review

Published: October 27, 2020

Publisher: DAW Books

Series: Maradaine Elite #3

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 404 (Paperback)

My Rating: 4.0/5.0

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

The third and final novel in the Maradaine Elite series blends fast-paced high fantasy and political intrigue, bringing together the threads of the interconnected Maradaine novels.

Corruption and conspiracy have infected the city of Maradaine, from the top levels of power to the very depths beneath the city. Dayne Heldrin and Jerinne Fendall, elite warriors of the Tarian Order, have no idea how close they truly are to the center of the city’s dark secrets. But when they learn that children are going missing, they know they must investigate further–no matter the cost.

They are soon joined by others, each with their own reasons for seeking the children. Veranix Calbert, the vigilante known as the Thorn, thinks his enemies are responsible for the missing children. Inspectors Minox Welling and Satrine Rainey fear the disappearing children are tied to corruption in the city Constabulary. Asti and Verci Rynax hope to protect the kids from their streets, one of whom barely escaped the kidnappers. And a mysterious young cloistress seeks to lead each of them deeper down into the depths of enigmas beneath the city, to the dark, unholy cult known as the Brotherhood, and the horrors that are growing within it.

The only hope Maradaine might have against the impending darkness is if these champions can work together to protect all the people of the city….

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Welp, this is the moment all Maradaine fans have been waiting for. Finally, all of the characters from each series converge into one series of unfortunate events and they basically form the Maradaine Avengers. It was quite the large cast and quite a production – so much magic and mayhem!

In this final installment, the various groups of characters are all investigating reports of missing children (and other nefarious deeds) around the city. Inadvertently, this brings them all together in an epic and somewhat ridiculous final showdown with a magical cult. While they’re focused on this obvious bad guy, the Council of Ten(?) is plotting far more thoroughly and subtly. This may literally be the worst summary of a book I could have put together, but unfortunately it’s been a couple weeks since I actually read this and it’s fairly complicated.

This remains a fun, action packed series and you can’t help but to love most of the characters. Even the stodgy Tarians have begun to grow on me, though they’re vastly improved by having slightly more roguish characters about. The story was really something – a grand finale to be sure, but I did think the actual finale was a bit ridiculous with the mad mix of magic and science. It gave me a most amusing mental image, but it was offset by the peril so many characters faced.

Overall, the final installment of the story arc brought all the characters together in a well-executed and cohesive manner. The story was engaging and the ending certainly left things open for a second story arc. So many things were left incomplete and unanswered! There are a few characters – namely Satrine Rainey and Asti Rynax – who really, really need their own prequel books because my, what interesting pasts they had! This collection of stories is quite a commitment, but well worth the time invested. If you find you enjoy one of the books, you’ll most likely enjoy all of them.